Dream Catcher
by death by storm
Summary: Discontinued by me and adopted by Pride1289.
1. A Rather Unfortunate Event

_It's been a couple of years since I wrote a YuGiOh story. And even longer since I have had a plot bunny for one. This story idea came to me months ago, when I was watching Danny Phantom with my sister. Anyway there is this one episode where Daniel is shoved through a Dream Catcher thing... and I won't give anymore away. I just had this random question. What would happen if Bakura was shoved through it? _

_This is AU ish though I admit that I am a bit rusty._

**Disclaimer:** I don't own this series.

* * *

Dream Catcher

Chapter 1: A Rather Unfortunate Event

Ryou sighed as the bell rang, signaling the end to another day – and the end of the school year – shrilled loudly. Ecstatic cheers sounded throughout the classroom. He glanced over and saw that Yugi and his friends were looking pretty enthusiastic at the thought of summer vacation as well. He smiled sadly as he packed his bag, thinking about what awaited him at home.

"Ryou-kun," Yugi called turning to him. do you want to go to the arcade with us?"

"No thank you Yugi," he replied with a fake smile. "I have other plans already."

Yugi seemed disappointed. Then understanding dawned in his eyes.. "Well see you later then."

The scenario was familiar to him, as if he was an actor who had read the script one too many times. At least once a week Yugi went out of his way to ask him to hang out. He had turned the other down so many times that the words now came automatically to his lips.

Ryou swung his pack onto his back and hunched forward slightly, before walking out of the room. He had obviously lied to Yugi back there and knew perfectly well that the other hikari hadn't bought it for a moment. On the other hand, Bakura was not expecting him home until the same time as on a regular school day. Ryou wanted to take this time to just be alone for awhile.

Once outside, Ryou allowed his feet to take a familiar path. The park that he was heading to was very woodsy, and had many places within it where one could sit and contemplate about anything and everything. It was less than a block from his home, so it would be easy for him to run back home if Bakura wanted him, or if he lost track of time.

Ryou wandered off the path and headed straight to the darkest section of the park. There was a large oak tree that he loved to sit in to think. Bakura had never found him there, though it would be easy for him to if he wanted to. That's why Ryou always made sure that when he went to this particular areea that he kept track of time. It wouldn't do for his violent yami to find one of his only sanctuaries.

Ryou arrived at the tree and swiftly clambered up into its protective branches. He chose a particularly thick one and settled upon it, each leg dangling carelessly on one side. As he looked out into the park, he spotted the children's play area among a large clearing. At about eye-level, were the many canopies of the surrounding trees. The one that he sat in currently was one of the oldest in the park. The wind gave a little gust and the sweet scent of pine danced through the air.

It would be awhile before he came here again. The arrival of summer meant that he would have the pleasure of being stuck in the house all day. For an evil spirit, Bakura was insanely possessive and would not allow anyone near his yadonushi. The bullies at school left him alone now because of this. Every time one of them approached him, Bakura would either come out of the Ring and beat them up to the point where they ended up in the hospital, or they would fall into strange comas.

On the other hand, his isolation meant that he bore the brunt of the yami's rages. It was not as if Bakura sought him out specifically to take his anger out upon. Ryou was only in danger if he was in Bakura's reach during one of those times. If there was someone else in the room at the time, Bakura would go after them instead of Ryou every time.

Ryou sighed and kicked one of his legs lazily. Maybe he should get a job this sumer. It would take him away from Bakura for awhile and he would have some spending money. The air began to cool down. Being so high up meant that Ryou felt it first. Cautiously, he climbed off of his perch and made his way down the trunk. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he began to walk towards home.

Bakura was out when he got in the door. Ryou slipped off his shoes and set them by the door.

"Better make dinner," he muttered to no one in particular. The echo of his voice in the stillness made him jump and he hurriedly flicked a few hallway lights on. After hanging his jacket in the closet and setting his bag by the door as well, he headed into the kitchen.

Idly, he began to throw together some teriyaki chicken and a simple salad. He wondered where Bakura was. It wasn't like the yami to not be home yet. Ryou wasn't worried though. His yami could take care of himself. If anything, he felt more concern for those who pissed Bakura off in the first place.

Ryou sighed and tossed the salad together while the chicken cooked. At least he got more time to think about a job. He had heard through Yugi that the Domino museum was looking for tour guides about his age. It would be a good experience for later on in life and the exhibit was on Ancient Egypt. The fact that not only was his father an archaeologist, but that Bakura was an Ancient Egyptian spirit would more than qualify him for the job. Though he would make sure not to mention either of those to whomever interviewed him.

Ryou jumped as he heard the front door open with a bang and then slam shut. He tensed as he heard Bakura walk into the living room. Ryou went into the living room to greet him and swallowed hard even though his other looked calm. He would have to ask him first before he would be able to move along with the summer job idea.

"Why so nervous, yadonushi?" Bakura said idly before he could say anything. His eyes then narrowed dangerously. "Were you out with those _friends_ of yours again?"

Ryou shook his head as his yami stalked closer.

"Then what is it?"

"B-Bakura, I was wondering if you would mind if I got a job," Ryou asked hopefully. "It's just for the summer."

Bakura didn't answer him right away. There was a contemplative look adorned the spirit's usually demented face. "Where is it?"

"The Domino museum," Ryou replied. "They have a new Egyptian history exhibit opening up and they need tour guides."

Bakura regarded his host thoughtfully as a plan began to race through his mind. _If what yadonushi says is correct, than there is a chance that the Pharaoh may show up. It would give me another chance to snatch the puzzle anyway. _He smirked.

"Fine. I give you permission to get a job there, but I will be accompanying you in the Ring."

Ryou nodded. It was better than nothing. Chances were, his yami would be alert for the first few days, and then get bored and not come anymore, or sleep in the Ring all day. That was what had happened with school after all. Bakura only came to school every once in awhile now.

Ryou wrinkled his nose as he smelled something odd.

"Bakura, do you smell -?"

He was cut off by the shrill whine of the smoke detector. "My teriyaki chicken!" he yelped and ran back into the kitchen. Needless to say, they had takeout for dinner that night.

Ryou chose his clothes carefully the next morning. He had to make a good impression after all. It was nine o'clock in the morning and he had to leave in the next few minutes or else he would be late. He slipped the Millennium Ring on and tucked it under his shirt. Quickly, he raced downstairs and grabbed his resume off of the printer tray beside the computer in the living room.

With the sheet of paper rolled up in his fist, he went back up the stairs and knocked on his yami's door. It opened less than a second later to reveal Bakura. Ryou gulped at the grouchy look on his face. The spirit just shoved past him roughly, his shoulder hitting Ryou's as he made his way down the stairs as well. Hesitantly he slipped down the steps after him. Once at the door, Bakura vanished into the Ring, though Ryou could easily feel his presence still perfectly aware at the back of his mind.

The hikari sighed in relief and ran out the door. Now that his yami was taken care of, he felt a mixture of both excitement and nervousness for the interview. At sixteen, this would be his first job – assuming that he got hired of course.

In what felt like no time at all, he found himself in front of the museum. Ryou saw that he wasn't the only one there. Many of the students from Domino High were also there. He even spotted both Yami and Yugi in the crowd. Their hair made it very hard to miss them. Ryou didn't bother approaching them. He knew that Bakura would be mad if he did. Ryou quickly moved behind a group of people to ensure that he was out of their line o sight. He looked up at the doors expectantly.

There were only a few positions to be filled. He hadn't thought that the idea of working at a museum would be so popular. If he was to be honest with himself, there was little chance of him actually getting hired here. Still, he had to try. As he was thinking this, the door at the top of the stairs opened and a man in his thirties stepped out a little so he could be seen by all. The crowd fell silent and everyone looked at him expectantly.

"Hello everyone," he said. "I can honestly say that we did not expect so many to show up. We will still interview everyone. At this time, we will require you all to get into a straight line in front of me. I will be letting you all in two at a time.

Immediately, there was a scramble for spots. Ryou found himself in the middle of the line. _Well,_ he thought. _This will take awhile._

He was quite correct about that. Between waiting in line and making sure to duck every time there was even a chance of Yami or Yugi spotting him, an hour passed. Finally, he was at the front of the line.

The man at the top let Ryou and the person behind him inside. His eyes widened in appreciation as he stepped into the immense building. In the middle of the lobby, there was an information desk. A set of stairs was directly behind it, no doubt leading to some of the exhibits. On the walls, there were posters of Egyptian pyramids and Aztec treasures. To his left, he saw the interviewers. There were two of them. Ryou headed over to the nearest one. At the nod of the man's head, he sat down.

"Resume?" the man said shortly, holding out his hand.

Nervously, he handed it over. The man scanned it quickly and then set it down in front of him.

"So..." he glanced down at the paper. "Ryou Bakura is it?"

"Yes."

"Tell me, why do you want to work at this museum?"

"It seems like a good opportunity," he replied. _I'll say_ came a muttered voice at the back of his mind. "I've always been interested in Ancient Egypt and when I heard from a friend that the museum was hiring, I couldn't resist."

"I see," the man mumbled and he wrote something down on the resume.

"Do you speak any other languages than Japanese? We get a lot of tourists."

"Yes, I also speak English," Ryou replied. "I lived in England in my early childhood."

Okay, well you seem to be a good kid," the man said. He smiled. "You're hired."

Ryou smiled widely. Yami Bakura started to cackle wildly at the back of his head. The hikari had to suppress the tingle of fear that crept over him.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"Your first day is tomorrow. You can meet here for orientation and training."

The next few weeks were great in Ryou's mind even though Bakura would not sleep whenever he was at work. It was okay. He did not have to worry about running into Yami and Yugi at work because neither of them were hired. Simply put, only people with the knowledge of a language other than Japanese were hired. Despite his initial fears, Bakura never did anything to inhibit his hikari's ability to do his job, but Ryou did sense that he often looked out at the world through his eyes. It didn't matter. Ryou knew he was up to something, though that was hardly unusual. It was probably another ploy to get the Millennium Items.

So it was on this day, weeks after Ryou had started that the crap hit the proverbial fan. Ryou had just given his last tour of the exhibit and was on his break when a voice heralding from the days when Ryou lived in England called out to him.

"Ryou? Ryou Bakura, is that really you?"

Ryou turned around and felt his blood chill in terror. Standing before him was a face from his past – and one, for her sake - he'd prayed to never see again. She had been the only one of his childhood friends to escape Bakura's wrath when he was first released. It wasn't that she was special or anything, it was merely that she had moved away before he had gotten to her.

"Colette?' he said feigning surprise.

"Oh it is you!" she squealed delightedly. "I'd recognize that white hair anywhere!"

She immediately stepped forward and embraced him. Unused to the sensation of touch anymore, he returned it awkwardly.

It's great to see you too," he smiled. On the inside he was screaming for her to leave. "You've certainly changed.

_Please don't hurt her, please don't hurt her, _he chanted over and over in his head. He dared not send her away. It would only serve to wake Bakura if there was panic both in his heart and at his lips.

To his horror, he felt Bakura stir at the back of his mind in surprise, and then smirked malevolently. It had been awhile since he had an opportunity to do this. He would have sent Ryou's new friends to the shadow realm as well, but they had that Pharoah protecting them. This however, was a different case. Yami no Yugi did not know of her existence, and Bakura would see to it that his host kept his mouth shut.

_Thank you for the suggestion,_ he all but purred in Ryou's mind. He felt his host shudder mentally in disgust and then forced him back. It was quite a struggle. His little host kicked and screamed all the way down to his soul room.

"So you work here?" Colette asked unaware of the switch.

"Ah yes I do," Bakura replied, mimicking Ryou's smile and voice perfectly.

"When are you on your break? I could come back later, you could show me around and we could catch up with each other," she offered.

"I'm on it right now," he said.

"Really? Do you have anything from North America – preferably from the First Nations?

Bakura quickly sifted through his hikari's memories until he came upon the image of a gigantic hoop with string strung through it's hole in a way akin to a spider's web. He smirked. It was in the store room that Ryou had to clean out a few days ago.

"We don't have anything on display now," Bakura said "But there is something in the back room that I can show you." _Consider this the fulfillment of your last request hehheheheheheh,_ he thought.

"Are you sure you won't get in trouble with your boss?" she asked.

"He is quite fond of me and appreciates any who have interest in other cultures."

"Okay then."

He lead her quickly through the Egyptian exhibit to a door that was on the side marked "Employees Only." Gently, he pushed it open.

"They keep some of the less priceless artifacts in here," he said quietly as he stepped into the softly illuminated room. He walked through the rows of neatly marked boxes to the back. In a dark corner stood the object.

"There it is," he said and nodded to the artifact. It dimly resembled the Millennium Ring due to the fact that it was round and had five spikes dangling from the bottom of it. What made it different was the fact that it also had its own tarnished wooden stand.

"Wow," Collette breathed stepping closer to it and past where Bakura stood. "It's beautiful. What exactly is it?"

Bakura smirked and was torn between answering the mortal's final question and dragging out his host's torment longer, or by just simply ending it there. In the end though, listening to more of Ryou's pleading and sobbing won out.

"It is quite similar to a dream catcher, though this one was made several hundred years ago," Bakura said simply. "The dream catchers that we know of today are used to guard against bad dreams. They allow good dreams to filter through and the bad ones are caught in the net. When the sun rises, it burns them away."

"And what about this one?" she asked.

"No one really knows," Bakura replied as his host's screams grew ever louder and he began to fight for control of the body once more.

"It looks like it could fit an entire person through it."

"Yes," Bakura muttered. It was the perfect time to strike. Her back was turned to him. Smirking, he separated from Ryou who stumbled forward in shock as he regained control of his body. Nothing would satisfy him more than watching his host struggle to save her while he locked her soul away forever.

"Colette! Don't listen to him!" Ryou cried out in panic.

She turned around and then blinked in confusion. "Ryou?"

Ryou whipped around and saw Bakura behind him, a sinister look upon his features. The Ring began to glow.

"You better not try to stop me, yadonushi," he stated and began to walk towards the frightened girl.

"Don't, please!" Ryou begged

Bakura pulled out a blank duel monsters card and ignored his hikari.

"No! Stop!" Ryou begged. "Colette! Run."

The tomb robber ignored him and stepped around him.

"Ryou? What's going on? Who's he?" she asked.

"Heh. Your worst nightmare," Bakura snickered menacingly.

"RUN!" Ryou all but screamed.

"What?"

Bakura lifted the card and faced the confused and frightened former friend of his host.

"Sea - "

"NO!" Ryou screamed once more and with strength lent to him by his desperation, shoved Bakura forward cutting him off. The tomb robber yelped in surprise as he stumbled forwards and through the device.

A blinding purple light flashed through the room. Ryou blinked madly as it faded, trying to comfort his scorched retinas. A dark swirling mass of shadows was hovering over Bakura's body, nearly obscuring it from view. All that Ryou could see was a dull shadow of what he assumed to be the yami's white hair.

_How – How did he get through that in one piece? _Ryou thought dazedly.

The dark shadow began to lift, as though repelled from around the still form on the floor. If it had a voice, he was sure that it would be grumbling in frustration. Vaguely, he could hear Colette sob softly beside him.

When he got his first glimpse of what was left of the tomb robber, his blood ran cold. A young child lay unconscious in Bakura's place. Yet at the same time, Ryou knew instinctively that the small form that lying there as if asleep, was still his yami.

* * *

_I know that at least some of you are thinking 'Oh no not another de-aging fanfic. Trust me though. What I have got planned, you guys have never seen._

_Feedback would be awesome. I really want to know what people think about this. Also if anyone sees any spelling or grammar mistakes, feel free to point them out._


	2. Bakura

_So yeah... I realized that I hadn't updated in about three months and that made me a very awful person even if I said that the updates were going to come whenever I felt like it... I had a bit of trouble in this chapter as my manga for this series is in a box right now. I'm moving. So I couldn't look up the speech patterns of the characters. Anyway, enjoy the fruits of my labour._

**Deathbystorm:** I do not own Yugioh... or Bakura, or Ryou, heck I don't even own the idea to de-age the characters for my own amusement. However, I do own the plot so take it and I SUE for several million dollars and mental and emotional damages.

* * *

Chapter 2

Colette stood frozen behind him, hands clasped over her mouth in horror. She backed away slowly, and then turned. Her footsteps echoed slightly in the stuffy silence as she ran out of the room. Ryou didn't bother chasing after her. He knew that she wouldn't tell anyone. After all, who would believe her? Part of him felt sad. Considering what she had just witnessed, there was a good chance that she would run the other way if she ever saw him again. There's another friend lost, he thought.

Ryou walked over to where the child lay. He circled Bakura's body until he was standing by his head. It was only then that he realized exactly how much the vision of Bakura that he was used to had been styled to reflect his own looks. His skin was dark brown as one would expect of a person who had spent the better amount of their life in the hot sun. Bakura's hair was a lot shorter than he was used to yet still the same shade of shocking white. It was also a lot less wild. Even the clothes were different with the unconscious boy dressed in a type of tunic constructed of simple linen.

Ryou automatically crouched down beside him and made to lift him before hesitating. Two sides warred in his mind. One was frantically screaming that this was his yami. The one that had locked his original friends' souls into dolls, the one that had just been about to do it only moments ago. The other shot back that yes, this was his yami, but he looked like a child and that there was probably a good reason for him to behave the way he did. What kind of cruel person could leave him like that? Slowly the softer side of him was winning.

Finally he sighed and lifted Bakura in his arms, taking care to support his head. How will I explain this to my boss? Ryou thought. In the beginning, his boss had asked him if he had any younger siblings to take care of. So that excuse would not make much sense. Not to mention that he was pale as death and Bakura was... well not. Maybe... a cousin? Yes that sounded much more likely.

He slipped into his boss's office, which was just off the side of the front entrance to the museum. Ryou shifted his burden to lay more on one arm and knocked timidly on the door.

"Come in," he heard from inside.

Ryou opened the door and peeked into the room.

"Ah Ryou," the man looked up from his desk. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"I was wondering if I could have the rest of the day off. There's been a bit of a family emergency." Ryou gestured to the unconscious child in his arms.

"I thought you didn't have siblings!"

"I don't! He's my cousin and just happened to get away from my aunt and uncle. He must have followed me to work," Ryou said. "They aren't very responsible with him and I couldn't reach them on the phone."

"I see and how long are they staying with you?"

"A month, maybe more," Ryou replied.

"I'll give you permission to take the rest of today off. But I expect you here bright and early tomorrow morning."

"Agreed," Ryou said. "And thank you."

Instead of walking, Ryou ended up taking the bus home. He had already attracted stares at the bus stop because of Bakura. They weren't hostile, but more puzzled. It was clear that it was assumed that they were related because of the white hair, no matter the difference in skin tones. For once, Ryou was thankful of this because it meant that he wasn't stopped on the way home.

The moment he entered his apartment, he set his unconscious yami on the couch and then ran for the phone. Dialing quickly, he called Yugi's home.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Yugi. It's Ryou," he said. "I have a bit of a problem on my hands, can I talk to Yami?"

"Is this about Bakura? He hasn't been physically abusing you, has he?"

"No," Ryou said. "It's much stranger than that."

"What?"

"He's... not normal."

"Well, we knew that."

"I mean... he's not normal as he came into contact with something at the museum and now he looks like a child!"

"Hang on, I'll get Yami."

There was a brief rustling as Yugi handed Yami the phone.

"Ryou, has he hurt you?"

"No! I already told Yugi that. Bakura followed me to the museum and came in contact with an ancient artifact. Something is wrong. He's been turned into a child. Could you both please come over?" Ryou said. "Besides, he only hurts me if he is in a bad mood and I happen to be there. I just have to stay out of his way."

"He shouldn't be hurting you at all," Yami said.

"Can we focus on the more pressing matter here?" Ryou said. "He's not right."

"Yes, yes fine, we will both be over as soon as possible."

"Thank you."

They both hung up simultaneously.

Ryou looked back to the couch where Bakura lay and just stared down at him. He had not moved since Ryou had set him there ten minutes before. Ryou picked up the tiny wrist of his yami. Immediately, his eyes flew open.

"Mother? Father?" Bakura said, glancing around. "Where am I? Where is everyone?"

"Bakura?" Ryou said.

Bakura paled. His knees curled into his chest and his hands grasped the sides of his heads. He let out a sound that was somewhere between a scream and a moan of pain.

"Are...are you alright?" Ryou.

Bakura began to shiver. Ryou inched forward and crouched down so he was at eye-level with him.

"Bakura?" He reached out with one hand and gently touched his shoulder.

Immediately, Bakura leaped over the back of the couch and retreated to the nearest corner that was not cluttered with furniture ... which happened to be across the room. He didn't crouch but stood there. Ryou didn't dare go over there. One move might mean that Bakura would run. Ryou already knew that it would be crucial to gain the other's trust and he wouldn't do that by chasing him all over the place.

There came a buzz at the intercom. Bakura jumped.

"Ryou, it's us, can you let us in?" Yugi's voice filtered through the room.

Slowly, Ryou walked around the couch and pressed the button by the speaker three times. There was a thirty second lapse of time before he heard a knock at the door. He opened it and moved to the side to let Yugi and Yami through.

Ryou heard Bakura whimper from the corner.

"How did you get him home like this?" Yugi asked.

"He was unconscious until about five minutes ago. I wouldn't go near him if I were you. He's terrified," Ryou said.

Yami stayed where he was and turned to Ryou. "If there was ever a time that you wanted to get rid of him, now would be it."

"I am not that heartless," Ryou said. "If I couldn't do that to him when he was normal, I couldn't do that to him as a helpless kid."

"He may be faking it," Yami said. His eyes narrowed slightly in the direction of Bakura.

"I don't think so," Ryou said. "When have you ever seen him cry?"

Yami turned to his hikari. "Aibou?"

"I agree with Ryou," Yugi said. "He just ...isn't right."

"What did he come in contact with?" Yami asked.

"An artifact from North America. A gigantic dream catcher," Ryou said. "He fell through it."

"A... dream catcher?"

"According to the legend behind them, they are supposed to protect you against bad dreams," Ryou said simply. "It was brought in a few weeks ago and we haven't put it on display yet."

"Well this item is obviously magical," Yami began. "But I have never heard of something that can de-age a person like this. Is it possible for us to see the item?"

"My boss loves people who seem to be genuinely interested in history. I could probably show it to you after work tomorrow," Ryou said.

"That sounds fine," Yami said.

Over in the corner, Bakura hiccuped, and trembled, his tears apparently finished for the moment.

"Maybe I should take him to a psychiatrist," Ryou said. "Then again, I don't think it would help much. He seems to be only eight years old mentally as well."

"Ryou, he's your yami. He's more likely to open up to you," Yugi reasoned.

"He doesn't seem to remember anything past what his age is," Ryou said. "But I'm still not sure."

"Maybe you should go into his soul room," Yami suggested.

"I've never been in there before," Ryou said. "He has also never been in mine..."

"Maybe it is time to go in there," Yami said. "We need to know what's going on and I doubt Shadi is going to pop out of nowhere. That man always does show up at the most inconvenient times."

Yugi's watch beeped. "Ah. We promised Grandpa that we'd be home in time for dinner. I suppose we'll see you tomorrow after work? What time do you get off?"

"I will be off at five," Ryou said.

"Alright, see you tomorrow!" Yugi said cheerily.

"Goodbye, Ryou," Yami said.

After seeing them to the door, Ryou went back over to the corner that Bakura was crouched in. He wasn't surprised to find him dozing. Ryou glanced at his own watch. It was ten past six.

"Ah... dinner," Ryou said out loud.

He left Bakura to sleep where he was and continued on into the kitchen. As his father was away most of the time, Ryou had long since learned to fend for himself in the area of the culinary arts. He had also entertained the thought of becoming a chef once or twice before. But Bakura had always stopped him from doing things like that. It was one of the few subjects that Ryou felt bitterness towards his yami on. Bakura had always been incredibly possessive. This was obvious in the fact that he wasn't allowed to see his friends that often. He followed him to work everyday just to make sure that Ryou wasn't doing anything he considered inappropriate! There was no way that he would be able to fulfill his dream when Bakura was around. Either that, or have the other constantly badgering him all of the time. Ryou sighed and added a bit of chicken to his stirfry.

You should have just let Yami deal with him, the most logical part of his mind argued. In fact you could call him up right now and tell him you have changed your mind. The more emotional part of his mind as well as his morals refuted this. How could you even think of killing a child for something that he technically hasn't done. He didn't recognize you. It's obvious that this isn't the same Bakura that you are used to. Ryou added some vegetables and shifted the pan around.

Bakura seemed too traumatized to have just been de-aged and to have lost his memories up until, he assumed the age of the body that his yami currently inhabited. Maybe I am just comparing him too much to the Bakura I know. Ryou thought as he doled out the food onto plates.

After pouring out some milk, Ryou took Bakura's plate and set it down beside him, before fetching his. Ryou set himself down on the floor a few feet away from the side of the sleeping boy. He leaned over, and gently nudged him. Bakura snapped awake instantly. His eyes roved around the room in a desperate attempt to locate the threat before they settled on Ryou. Immediately, he slid out of his corner and along the wall adjacent to Ryou.

"Bakura, I only brought you some food," Ryou said softly. He pushed the plate closer to the scared boy and began to eat his meal. Bakura watched him closely, making sure that the other was not an immediate threat. Ryou was about halfway done his meal before Bakura's hand began to creep forward. Ryou watched him out of the corner of his eye, not making any sudden movements other than the 'clink' of chopsticks against his plate. Quick as a flash, Bakura grabbed it and retreated even farther away from Ryou. He ignored the chopsticks on the side of his plate and picked up a long noodle with his bare hands. He crammed it in his mouth and his eyes lit up, before he eagerly tore into the rest of the dish. Ryou couldn't help but smile slightly at that. Bakura still loved his cooking, it seemed. Or he was very hungry.

Even though Bakura ate with his hands, (now that Ryou thought of it, he didn't even know if they had any sort of utensil in Ancient Egypt) he was tidy, and Ryou's carpet lived to see another day. After both plates were cleared with food, Ryou picked up their dishes (prompting another abrupt retreat by Bakura) and took them to the kitchen. He chose to ignore the light tap of footsteps behind him as he dumped the dishes in the dishwasher and turned it on. Bakura backed away a bit as the dishwasher roared to life, or at least it seemed to in his eyes. It was a rather new model and as such, quiet. Ryou turned and saw him peeking in from the kitchen entrance.

"It's just a dishwasher," he said. "It won't hurt you. It just cleans dishes."

"Magic?" Bakura said.

"Electricity," Ryou said.

"Eeelektrickity?"

"Electricity," Ryou repeated. "It powers many things."

To emphasize this, he flicked a nearby light switch. The kitchen lights flashed on and off. Bakura's eyes widened and he gave a start as if to move forward. Ryou backed away from the light switch to the other side of the kitchen and watched as the other began to play with the switch. The boy lifted the switch up and down several times making the lights flicker overhead.

Immediately, Bakura was all over the kitchen, opening and closing the refrigerator, the cupboards, and looking at the stove, microwave and toaster. Ryou patiently explained the function of each appliance to Bakura whenever he stopped to examine one. It was late at night before Bakura began to tire himself out. Ryou eventually had to coax him into his room, planning to take the couch for tonight. He didn't dare bring Bakura into his own room. The place had many booby traps which were rather malicious. Ryou had stayed out after the first time he had opened the door and a dagger had come flying at him. He gave Bakura one of his old shirts to wear for the night and vowed to go shopping as soon as the other was ready for an excursion into the modern world.

It was close to two in the morning before Ryou finally fell into his makeshift bed, exhausted both physically and emotionally.

* * *

_The next chapter should not be as long in coming. Please review people. I feel loved when you do XD._


	3. Dream Catcher

_So recently I have gotten a few PMs asking when this story is being updated and such. The chapter was pretty much done. All I had to do was edit it. Anyway, after six months of waiting... enjoy I suppose. XD _

_Oh and one more thing, Bakura is currently eight years old.  
_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except this computer.

* * *

Dream Catcher

Ryou lay awake for several hours in bed that night, thinking about what he had said to Yugi and Yami, his thoughts on Bakura. Was it really wise to keep him? Yugi had mentioned to him, that when they were in the Millennium World that they had found out that Bakura had been possessed by a demon and a little about his upbringing. He had felt a little bit of empathy towards his yami because of that, but had acted no differently towards him. Past or no, he was still scared of him.

He was pretty sure that Bakura was not possessed anymore. In fact he had seen a dark shadow leave him when he had appeared on the other side of the dream catcher. It wasn't surprising, really. Ryou already knew that regular dream catchers were supposed to filter out nightmares and other negative dreams. Who's to say that it wasn't possible for the magic it possessed to be different and would not only get rid of evil spirits, but 'reset' a person to the age where they first became tainted? Then would Bakura ever regain his real mind?

Even though Ryou was scared of him, it didn't mean that he wanted Bakura to disappear forever. In fact, that would make him a bit sad. It would be a kind of death, because this younger Bakura would be in his place and with a totally different personality. It would be the same way if the original Bakura came back. After all, this Bakura did not seem to remember anything after his village was burned to the ground.

Ryou groaned as the shrill ring of his alarm clock pierced his ears and there was a yelp and a thunk from upstairs. Alarmed, Ryou got up and stretched before running up to his room.

He had to hold back a snort of laughter when he saw what had happened. Bakura had fallen out of bed and was just picking himself up with a scowl on his young face.

"What was that noise?" Bakura asked.

"My alarm clock," Ryou said.

"There is something bad happening?"

"No, it's just a device that wakes you up at a certain time. I have to go to work... today," Ryou slowed down and then stared at Bakura. "Oh dear, I have to find someone to watch you."

With an alarmed look on his face, Ryou dashed downstairs. He ran over to where the phone lay on the coffee table and dialed Yugi's number.

"Hello?"

"Yugi, it's me Ryou. Could you please come over right away? I need to go to work and someone needs to watch Bakura."

"Sure. Just give me about twenty minutes to get ready and we'll both be over."

"Thank you so much," Ryou said.

"We're still going to the museum to see the thing that changed Bakura into this right?"

"Yes. Come at five. It's the time that I am off today," Ryou said.

"Alright. We'll be there." Yugi replied.

"Be where?" Yami's voice came from the background.

"Ryou's. He has work."

"I thought we were going to meet him at the museum."

"We are. But we are going to watch Bakura."

"What?"

"Never mind him, Ryou," Yugi said. "What time do you have to leave?"

"An hour from now." Ryou said.

"I have to argue with Yami about this. You know how he is. We'll be there in forty-five minutes," Yugi said.

"Thank you, Yugi."

"Oh. It's not a problem. After all, what are friends for? Bye."

"Bye."

Ryou hung up the phone and glanced up as Bakura came down the stairs rubbing his tired eyes.

"Breakfast?" Ryou said with a smile.

The child gave him a solemn look and then nodded.

"Now. What would you like?"

The child didn't respond. Ryou shrugged to himself and busied himself in cooking eggs, bacon and toast. Bakura ran upstairs to get dressed in the tunic that he arrived in and then sat himself at the table and watched him.

Ryou made a note to buy him some modern clothing the next day.

"Do you like doing that?" he asked after a few moments' silence.

"Cooking is one of my hobbies. It makes the house seem more welcoming don't you think?"

Ryou quickly finished making breakfast and set it at the table. After lecturing Bakura on how to use the utensils properly, they ate.

The doorbell rang just as Ryou was finishing the dishes. He dried his hands off on the dish towel, but the door flew open before he could go answer it.

"Ryou!" Yugi bounced into the room and gave his friend a hug. Yami followed in at a slower pace.

Bakura just blinked at them over his half eaten breakfast.

"Alright, Bakura. These people are my friends and they will be watching you for the day."

To Ryou's dismay, Bakura immediately wrapped his arms around his legs and refused to let go.

"Come on now, Bakura," Yugi said softy. "You're a big boy, right?"

Bakura just held on tighter.

"Well he has been through a lot in the last twenty-four hours," Ryou replied. "And he is probably worried that I will not come back."

Ryou knelt down in front of the child and placed his hands on his shoulders. He looked him dead in the eye. "Bakura, I know you are scared, but I have to leave for work now. These two will take care of you while I'm gone. They'll bring you to the museum later."

Bakura's grip relaxed slightly and he cast a hopeful look up into Ryou's face. Ryou couldn't help but smile reassuringly at him. "Don't worry, I just need to go work."

Bakura gave in and let go. "Be good for them," Ryou said.

He put on his shoes and grabbed his lunch out of the fridge before heading out the door. As he walked down the driveway, he glanced back and saw Bakura's face pressed up against the glass. He cast one more reassuring smile back at him before continuing off down the street.

Ryou sighed as he finally broke for lunch. The day just seemed to drag on forever. He had only had to guide one tour of people and the rest of the time he had spent cleaning the stock room and dusting parts of the natural history section of the museum. As fascinating as historical artifacts were, when he dusted them all day, it got rather dry. He did now know all that he would ever need about natural history. Though he had to admit, the people who did come along and watch him dust the display skeletons were amusing to watch. He wondered if it was because they thought that the skeletons on display were actual fossils and not the plaster casts that they were in reality.

Finally, finally, five o`clock rolled around and people started to leave the museum. It was actually open until seven, which Ryou was grateful for because it meant that he didn`t have to stay after his shift and clean up. He did feel bad for those who did. On the other hand, it did give him time to show his friends around.

Ryou let his brush drop to the floor and climbed down the ladder. He put it away in the cleaning closet and headed towards the entrance, bouncing on the balls of his feet impatiently. At ten after five, they finally showed up. Yugi was holding Bakura`s hand, much to the distress of the eight year old. Him and Yami both looked exhausted. The moment Bakura spotted Ryou, he wrenched his hand out of Yugi`s grasp and ran over to Ryou. He grabbed Ryou`s pant leg and buried his face into the fabric.

"What happened with him?" Ryou asked.

"He was a bit of a handful," Yugi said shakily. "We didn't take him back over to our house because it would have stressed him out more. He refused to eat lunch."

"What did you make him?" Ryou said.

"Grilled cheese sandwiches," Yugi said.

"He hates those."

"Ah."

"Bakura?" Ryou said. He leaned down over the boy. "Would you like to see the exhibit?"

Bakura nodded. Ryou grabbed his hand. "What would you like to see first?"

He pointed to the dinosaur exhibit. "Alright. Do you know what dinosaurs are?"

Bakura shook his head.

"Their name means 'great terror lizard' and they lived long ago. We are going to see casts of what they looked like and coloured models."

Ryou lead them all into the exhibit and right over to the oviraptor display. "Now originally oviraptor was named so because they thought she was in the nest to steal the eggs..."

Ryou took them all through the exhibit and then quickly lead them through the Native American display. He then took lead them over to the door and inside the back.

"It's in here," Ryou said. He glanced down at Bakura to see if the child was showing any signs of distress. Actually, he looked bored. "We're almost done," Ryou murmured.

Bakura tugged at his hand and Ryou let him go to explore. There wasn't anything in there that was not a plastic model except for the dream catcher.

"Are you absolutely certain that they will let visitors in here?" Yugi asked.

"As long as a member of the staff is with them," Ryou said.

Yami went ahead and circled around the giant dream catcher, before reaching out with his mind, aided by the power of the puzzle. He recoiled immediately when an alien presence touched the tip of his awareness.

"Yami?" Yugi said.

"It's alright, aibou," Yami murmured. "It just startled me."

Undeterred, Yami reached out again with his mind. This time he ignored the presence and allowed it to fill his mind. He scanned it before withdrawing back to his own body.

"It's different from anything that I have ever encountered before," he said quietly.

"How?" Yugi said.

"It isn't connected to the shadow realm at all. Its roots seem to lie in another plane of reality that we don't yet know about it. It seems to have the same function as the weighing of the feather ceremony does in Egypt, except that instead of punishing, it gives the person whose soul is being judged the ability to remedy whatever is wrong with it."

Ryou's eyes widened and he glanced back at Bakura who was playing around with a small animal totem.

"Will it erase his personality?" Ryou asked.

"That doesn't seem to be the case. This device seems to only get out rid of that which is harming the person, instead of trying to correct moral viewpoints. It's most likely that once Bakura has let go of his need for revenge and any blame that he put on himself that he will be returned to normal. His previous memories will be returned to him after this test is over. He will also keep these ones. Any changes in his personality won't be immediate."

A crash sounded from behind them. They both turned to find an alarmed looking Bakura behind them. He turned and attempted to run out the door, only to have Ryou grab him by his collar.

"You aren't in trouble. The stuff in here is not broken easily," Ryou said.

Bakura looked at him, and Ryou smiled to show him that it was really all right.

"Are you okay?"

A nod was the answer, and Bakura resumed his staring at the floor. Ryou looked at him and blinked.

"Did you dress him up in my old clothing?" Ryou said.

Yugi scratched the back of his head and aimed a sheepish smile at him. "Sorry Ryou."

"No, that's quite alright. I was going to buy him some tomorrow since I have the day off. Since we are all here, do you guys mind if we go for pizza? My treat as thanks for watching him today."

"I'm fine with it. Yami?" Yugi said turning to the other.

"Pizza sounds good, " came the reply.

Later that evening, they all ended up at Ryou's house watching movies and eating chips. Ryou had taken Bakura up to bed about an hour ago because he had fallen asleep on the couch. The ending credits for Lord of the Rings The Return of the King rolled up the screen.

"How are you really, Ryou?" Yugi said.

"Pardon?"

"This whole thing has got to be rather stressful for you," Yami said.

"I am fine, you guys," Ryou said. "It's rather a relief to have him this young, and I think I may understand him a bit more now."

"Are you still scared of him?" Yugi asked.

Ryou shook his head. "No really, I am okay. I am a little scared of what he will be like when this is all over, but for now it is okay."

Yugi hesitated. "Are you sure?"

Ryou smiled. "Don't worry. It's really quite alright."

"Well we better go then. It's getting late and we promised to help Grandpa open the shop tomorrow."

Ryou saw them to the door, and then went off to get ready for bed himself. He was feeling rather tired from the events of the past few days.

It seemed like only a few minutes later that Ryou was awoken by whimpers and screams coming from upstairs. He tossed the covers from his body and crept up to his room. Bakura was trapped in the sheets and tossing and turning on his bed. Ryou just knew he would freak out even worse if the other woke up with someone else hanging over his head.

"Bakura?" Ryou said softly. He turned the light on. Bakura's screaming, if anything, became louder.

"BAKURA!" Ryou yelled loudly enough to be heard over the racket.

Bakura's eyes snapped open and he glanced around the room desperately before panicking. He tore past Ryou and down the stairs. Ryou felt his heart pound in alarm as he heard the front door slam.

"Shit!" he swore, and then covered his mouth, mildly horrified. He never swore. His yami had really begun to rub off on him.

Ryou paused long enough to grab the keys and rushed out door himself. The streets were deserted at this time of night. He glanced to the left and then the right. There! He saw a flash of white underneath the street lamp. Ryou immediately ran after it. He knew instinctively that it was Bakura. At first he was gaining on him. Ryou even saw him clearly when they ran through a clear intersection. It was perhaps half a block later that Bakura took a sudden turn and seemed to become obscured by shadows. Ryou skidded to a stop in front of the same park that he had hidden from the world more than once.

Now though, he cursed the protective arms of the trees. It was funny really. He had always expected that Bakura would be the one chasing him through these woods, not the other way around. He sighed and pushed his way through. _At least I know where the paths are._ It was very easy to get lost in here. It could take hours to search it, whether Ryou knew the paths or not. Bakura might not have even stopped somewhere in here, but just have continued on through. Of their own volition, Ryou's feet took him to the tree that he knew so well.

It was strangely dark around the tree, even though Ryou knew this to be one of the brightest places in the park. His ears pricked up as a horrible sense of forboding flashed through him. His blood ran cold, causing his body to shiver involuntarily. He felt the Millenium Ring grow warm on his chest. Ryou paused at this. It sensed something. Nevertheless, he continued to walk forward through the black fog, until, quite suddenly he was through it. In the centre was Bakura standing next to a dark form with horns and red eyes.

"I can help you," it said. "Don't you want to revenge?"

"Well, I -"

"Do you want something like that to happen again? Where you hide in the shadows helpless, without the power to help?"

Bakura shook his head mutely.

"Then just agree to this pact. You will never be powerless again, I promise," the shadow said gently. It extended its hand towards the reluctant child.

Bakura hesitated, then reached forward as well.

Ryou knew immediately that this was very bad. Sensing his panic, the Ring grew fire hot on his chest. Even through his pajama shirt he could feel his skin begin to blister. He didn't care at the moment. He just knew that he had to stop what was about to happen.

"NO!" Ryou yelled and ran forward, hoping, praying that he wouldn't be too late.

* * *

_So... thoughts, insults, constructive criticism?_


	4. AN

Dear readers of Dream Catcher,

As you may have noticed, it has been a long time since I wrote a chapter. The truth is, I've discontinued it. However, Pride1289 has adopted this story and has her first chapter up today for those interested. This note will be taken down pretty quickly, as I know it is against the rules to have a chapter as an A/N.


End file.
